Futuristic phone concepts we wish were real

The smartphone segment is here to stay and will definitely evolve further in the coming years. Here are 10 futuristic phone concepts we wish were real...

The smartphone segment is here to stay and will definitely evolve further in the coming years. Smartphones will aim at getting sleeker, smaller and giving users a private space of high-tech functionality even in a crowded place. This would be accompanied with some really powerful processing speed, out-of-the box features and added zing in the form of uniqueness and convenience for users. Several such futuristic concepts have already made their presence felt and could pave their way into the mainstream market in future. Here are 10 such futuristic phone concepts we wish were real.

• LG Paper Touch

Unfold to turn it from a phone to tablet

Look back at the smartphone generations and you will notice how they’ve gone sleeker and slimmer with each passing year. And yes, it won't stop here. So, one shouldn't be surprised to see extremely sleek, paper thin smartphones. LG already has this futuristic concept ready, which is not only ‘thin as a paper’ but also foldable so that it can be conveniently unfolded to form a tablet. The LG Paper Touch can be folded four times owing to its elastomer joints, and with each fold it serves a new purpose. So, you can use it as a music player with the headphone jack and touch display, then unfold it once and it turns into a flip phone. Unfold it further and it turns into a fully-functional tablet. This lets you use a single device for multiple purposes. Truly futuristic.

• Palm iPhone concept

iPhone on the palm, a total weight loss program 

Ever wondered how an iPhone 8, 10 or 12 may look? Well, the next on our list is a really innovative iPhone palm concept phone. This device is truly futuristic and completely adheres to Apple’s weight loss therapy. You don't have to carry it in your pockets, because the wearable device can be strapped around your wrist. It has a projector that projects the usual homescreen on your palm; your fingers do the rest of navigation using this projected display. The device has a small touchscreen with some shortcuts and notifications. Overall, a really cool and innovative concept.

• LG Flutter Phone

'Fanned' out touchscreen display

LG’s concept phone has been aptly named Flutter. It would be at home with the fashionistas of the future with those sleek lines and absurd yet stylish looks. It’s ergonomically designed and embedded with a unique metallic keypad, making it sleek to look at and comfortable to hold. Just press that circular LG logo on its lower side and the phone opens up like a hand-fan. This fan is nothing else but a touchscreen with some touch icons, which make it look exactly like Apple’s iOS interface. Now, we aren't sure if you can use it to fan yourself, but the concept is cool, neat and chic.

• M-Phone

Adjusts screen size

This concept phone’s USP is its innovative display. If you see, it has a metal band that divides the screen into two parts. What's interesting is, this metal band slides across the screen to adjust the viewable area, and depending upon the usage, transforms the rest into a keypad, gaming control or media control. This also means that you can divide the screen into two parts to do two different tasks like watching a movie and checking your Facebook feeds alongside. This is a unique concept and someday our smartphones could evolve to make it a standard feature.

• Philips Fluid phone

Fluid and flexible (Image Credit: Designbuzz)

Imagine a flexible strip that curls up on your wrist and then straightens up to serve as a phone. The Philips ‘Fluid phone’ has just wowed us with its high-resolution OLED display that can instantly wrap on your wrist like a high-tech accessory. So, no more heavy pockets or sweaty fingers for holding the phone for long hours, as you can simply wear it all day long. The UI appears to be neat and modern while it also has a PlayStation-style control pad and a tiled menu. If evolved further, this handy phone concept could be a stepping stone for generations of smartphones to come.

• VIPNI Concept P.C.P. Professional Computer Phone

A powerful Windows phone..or rather a computer 

After the Windows 8 announcement, a number of hybrids have been surfacing in the markets. The next concept puts your computer functionality into a unique and powerful phone design. Its designer Imran Sheikh has cleverly named it VIPNI; turn it by 180 degrees and you will read ‘India.’ The TPM VIPNI Concept P.C.P. Professional Computer Phone is a really smart concept that shows how this hybrid phone can simply replace your laptops and netbooks. The spec sheet of this ‘x86 on ARM’ concept phone reveals a backlit keyboard, bottom-line numeric keys for semi slide mode, gaming keys, split mouse, central 3D camera placement, tap controlled UI, foldable capacitive mouse and more.

• FlyIdea

Innovative dongle 

The FlyIdea is yet another concept that gives you a peep into the probable future of smartphones. The phone concept shows a usual large-screen smartphone, but what sets it apart is the included dongle-earphone that can perform several functions. The dongle serves as a wireless earphone that synchs with your device and lets you use the camera, control music and record videos directly using the dongle. So, you can control several functions without the need to pull out the smartphone from your pocket.

• Blue Facebook phone

Facebook's 'Blue' charm 

We’ve seen some phones dedicated to social media, but this “beaming in blue” Facebook phone takes a leap further. A cool wedge design and appealing smart looks with screens showing multiple Facebook functions makes it a delight for Facebook addicts. The ‘notification button’ also doubles as a button to access the messaging centre directly. It has a ‘Like’ button on the front side while the ear-speakerphone and mic are embedded on the back. So, you will have to turn the phone and make calls from its rear side. Then there’s a camera with LED-flash to directly upload photos to your FB account. Spotify and Instagram buttons are also embedded into the system. The futuristic functions and looks make it ideal for Facebook freaks.

• Samsung One Pen 

Phone disguised as a pen 

‘Thin is in’ when it comes to mobile devices and the next futuristic phone is 'one' of our favourites. This sleek pen, dubbed One, can easily fit in your pockets and pulling out the 6-inch flexible screen turns it into a full-fledged mobile device. You don't need to pull out the screen each time to view notifications as the touchscreen embedded on the body of the pen will do so for you. So, you will see all the important notifications like battery and Wi-Fi status, time, alarms and so on. The image above shows the speaker, camera and also a cool charging dock. The question is how small yet effective the battery would be? Nevertheless, we are hopeful and would love to see this concept reach mainstream markets sometime in future.

• Nokia HumanForm

Nokia's transparent and flexible phone takes the human form

Tech freaks have been anticipating a transparent phone with flexible display for some time now, and Nokia has its research centre all geared up with such concepts for the mobile market. One such piece of innovation from Nokia is the HumanForm concept phone, which isn't just transparent and flexible but also has the ability to recognise its user’s mood. It feels like a Jellyfish with a super-flexible design that can withstand any amount of twisting and bending. But what’s more exciting is that each of these gestures is assigned a task that the phone completes. For instance, twist the phone to browse and bend it to zoom. The flexible design also changes its shape to suit your ears and deliver a better listening experience.

These cool phone concepts give us a peek into the probable future of the mobile phone market. If they ever hit the mainstream market, which one of these devices would you buy?